Luftwaffe Single Decal M40 Helmet with Capture Tag

A Luftwaffe single decal M40 combat helmet with the veteran’s combined capture and mailing tag still tied to the helmet liner. The exterior blue gray combat paint is approximately 95% intact. The Luftwaffe eagle decal is nearly 95% intact, with only some tiny points of loss. The helmet has a straight line indentation on the upper right side that is 1/2 inch long. The interior of the helmet is marked “SE64”, indicating a size 64 helmet shell that was manufactured by the Sachsische Emaillier und Stanzwerke A.G. The liner is present and it is quite clean, and it appears to be stamped as a size 58. Tied to the liner drawstring is the card which served as both the capture document and the mailing tag that was used to send the helmet home as a souvenir. According to the addressed side of the tag, the sender was Lieutenant J.J. Carrell (at least, that’s one interpretation of his handwriting). He wrote his service number and his unit: Company A of the 503rd Military Police Battalion. Interestingly, the “Certification” side of the card , which verified that the item was of no value and could be sent home, was also signed by Lt. Carrell as the authorizing official. So the Lieutenant certified that his own souvenir was allowed to be sent back to the United States. The helmet lacks a chin strap but overall it is in excellent combat used condition. The 503rd Military Police Battalion landed in Normandy and received a streamer for the Normandy Campaign as well as for the campaigns of Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace,and Central Europe.